'Concentration of minorities in areas a matter of concern': BJP leader BL Santosh

Controversy

Santosh was speaking to journalist Ajith Hanumakkanavar at an event titled ‘Demography — Dividend or Danger’ at the Mangaluru Lit Fest.

TNM Staff

In a rather controversial statement, Karnataka BJP leader and national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh on Saturday said that the concentration of the minority population in certain pockets of the country is a “matter of concern." Santosh, who was promoted in mid-July to the second most coveted post in the party, made these comments on Saturday as he was speaking at the Mangaluru Lit Fest. Santosh was previously a joint General Secretary (organisation) and is considered to be bitter rivals with Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa within the party. The BJP leader was speaking to journalist Ajith Hanumakkanavar during an event titled ‘Demography — Dividend or Danger,’ at the Lit Fest.  According to reports, Santosh said, “The concentration of Muslims and Christians is high in some parts of the country, which is dangerous.” He also suggested that the central government will come up with an action plan to “deal with the situation” as he deemed the “concentration of minorities” as a “threat” that needs to be resolved. He added that 50% of the Christian population in India is concentrated in the four southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. He added that these four states only account for less than 30% of the total population. Similarly, he said the Christian population in the North-East makes up 37% of the country’s Christian population. Further 81% of Tamil Nadu’s Christian population was also concentrated only in the three districts of Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam, and Cuddalore, Santosh said. Santosh also added that the government and the society should take the issue seriously and address the same.   He emphasised concentrations and not numbers are the worrying part, reported The Hindu.  Speaking about the Muslim population, he said that the community is mostly residing in the Malabar belt from Mangaluru in coastal Karnataka to north Kerala. He attributed the demand for a separate north Malabar state by Muslim Youth League was due to the “Muslim concentration.” He, however, suggested that the BJP does not worry about growing numbers of minorities but only their concentration. As part of the same conversation, Santosh also said that the NRC (National Register of Citizens) was not a measure to target minorities.

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Bengaluru cop stabbed by accused while taking them back to police station

Crime

Police said the injured cop, who was bringing the accused back to the police station, is stable and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital

TNM Staff

The police in Bengaluru are on the lookout for two men who allegedly stabbed a head constable while he was taking them to the RT Nagar Police Station. They have been booked for attempt to murder. The two accused— Mardhan and Kandala— were detained by the police after there were complaints that some men were harassing women in the locality in the evening. Head Constable Nagaraj, 40, and another policeman Chandrashekhar was visiting Chamundi Nagar to verify a passport applicant’s background. It was then that the police were told by locals about the incidents of harassment. While the two policemen were making their way back to the police station on their bike at around 1:15 pm, they reportedly spotted the two accused in a group of men who were seen harassing women. When the police tried to catch hold of them, the men tried to run away, but the police managed to apprehend two of the men.  Speaking with The Hindu, a senior policeman said that while Chandrasekhar left for the police station on his bike, Nagaraj hired an autorickshaw to bring the two accused men with him. It was then in the autorickshaw that the policeman was reportedly assaulted. According to reports, Kandala had allegedly stabbed Nagaraj with a knife before he made his way out of the vehicle.  With the bleeding policeman in his vehicle, the auto driver rushed him to the hospital. The police said the injured cop is stable and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital but there seems to be a procedural lapse. A police officer speaking with The Hindu stated that the cops should have ensured that the two accused were unarmed before they were taken into custody. Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, the policemen identified the group of men as “ganja smokers” and said the four men were all around the age of 25.

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KPL betting case: BCCI, ICC reach out to Bengaluru police, ensure cooperation

Crime

Run by the KSCA, KPL, an intra-state T20 tournament, has been mired in betting and spot-fixing controversies.

IANS

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reached out to Bengaluru Police, promising co-operation in probing the multi-faceted Karnataka Premier League (KPL) betting scam, an official said on Saturday. "The ICC has contacted Bengaluru Police regarding the KPL betting scam. We are in co-operation with each other," Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kuldeep Jain, confirmed with IANS. In 2000, ICC had established the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), which works with multiple stakeholders, including member boards, players, support staff, law enforcement agencies and betting regulators to thwart corruption in the game. Alex Marshall is the General Manager of ACU, while Ronnie Flanagan is its Chairman. Similarly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also contacted the city police in connection with the scandal-hit local T20 tournament it had approved. "BCCI has extended all co-operation... They are also collecting information from us and we are on the same lines against the KPL betting scam," said Jain. Jain said that BCCI officials have met the police in Bengaluru in an informal meeting. BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit also wrote to the city police promising co-operation, Jain said. According to Kuldeep Jain, some retired cricketers came forward to help the police in nipping the betting evil in the bud. Meanwhile, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Treasurer Vinaya Mruthyunjaya said the state cricket body had no information of the ICC contacting the police. "We have no information of ICC having contacted the police," Mruthyunjaya told IANS. He did not clarify if officials from KSCA, a body affiliated to the BCCI, had accompanied the BCCI officials while meeting the police in the city, and the level of cooperation and coordination among the ICC, BCCI and KSCA pertaining to the KPL betting scam. It is also not known how much data in GB volume has been submitted to the police, who sought complete details of KPL teams, scorecards, video footages, phone numbers and other details linked to the tournament. There is also no clarity if ICC or BCCI had given any specific instructions to the state association in connection with the KPL. The senior police officer said the investigation into the KPL betting scam was continuing, without confirming if any of the female escorts or cheer girls deployed for "honeytrapping" cricketers were identified or arrested. Run by the KSCA, KPL, an intra-state T20 tournament, has been mired in betting, honeytrapping and spot-fixing controversies. The betting scandal led to the arrest of a string of cricketers, bookies, team owners and others. Started in 2008 and envisioned to be a feeder tournament to the cashrich BCCI-owned Indian Premier League (IPL), KPL has emerged as a leading local franchise-based league.        

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In a suspected case of female infanticide, 8-day-old baby found dead in Bengaluru

Crime

The Soladevanahalli police have taken into custody, the baby’s grandmother, Parameshwari.

Theja Ram

A harrowing case of murder has come to light in Bengaluru where a new born, just eight-days-old, was allegedly killed by her grandmother. Eight days ago, Tamilselvi, a resident of Myadarahalli, gave birth to a baby girl at a private hospital in Bengaluru. According to the Soladevanahalli police, her mother-in-law, Parameshwari, was not happy that it was a baby girl. As the baby was born prematurely, she had contracted jaundice soon after birth and was undergoing treatment.  After the mother and baby were discharged and came home, Parameshwari allegedly taunted Tamilselvi for not giving birth to a boy. Speaking to TNM, Soladevanahalli Police Inspector Shivaswamy said that this harassment allegedly continued. “Around 11 am on Saturday, we received a call from Tamilselvi, who complained that her new born had gone missing from her house,” he said.   “The mother was in the washroom. When she came out, the baby was not in the cradle. She called her husband, Marshal, who, in turn, called 100. We went to their house immediately to find out how the baby went missing in a span of five minutes,” Inspector Shivaswamy added. Shivaswamy and a head constable attached to Soladevanahalli police station questioned all three family members. They then began conducting a search in the area. When Shivaswamy went up to the building’s rooftop and looked down, he found the baby on the ground, bleeding from its head. An ambulance was pressed into service and the baby was taken to a nearby private hospital, where it was declared brought dead. Inspector Shivaswamy said that the new born was allegedly thrown from the rooftop of the house, and hence, a murder case has been registered.  “Tamilselvi and Parameshwari were the only ones in the house. Tamilselvi was in the washroom, according to her statement. She and Marshal have said that Parameshwari was not happy about the baby being a girl. When she got jaundice, Parameshwari is said to have taunted Tamilselvi about the expenses they had to bear,” he added.  The Soladevanahalli police have registered a case of murder and have taken Parameshwari into custody, where she is currently being questioned. Shivaswamy said that a formal arrest will be made after questioning. Originally from Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu, Marshal, along with his mother Parameshwari, moved to Bengaluru several years ago. Marshal and Tamilselvi got married three years ago.       

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Mysuru Bishop booked for kidnapping, criminal intimidation, sexual harassment

Crime

Bishop KA William of the Catholic Diocese of Mysuru is, however, yet to be arrested.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Nearly a month after a Catholic Bishop was accused of intimidating a survivor of sexual harassment, the Mysuru police on Friday registered an FIR against him. KA William, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mysuru has been booked for kidnapping (Section 506), criminal intimidation (Section 563) and outraging the modesty of a woman(354). He is, however, yet to be arrested by the police. It was on November 5 that a complaint was filed against the Bishop by Robert Rosario, Association of Concerned Catholics (AOCC), a citizen’s group. This came after a video of a woman surfaced in March this year alleging that the Bishop threatened her, after she accused another priest of sexual harassment. In the video, the woman, who formerly worked in the diocese, alleged that she was harassed by a priest, Leslie Moras, and later was allegedly threatened by the Bishop last year. “I was called to the office after my field work at around 6 pm on the pretext of giving a report of what I had been doing. At that time, he [Leslie Moras] was grazing himself against me lustfully. Later, he directly approached me for sex, and said, ‘only if you compromise with me, you will have a job.’ I decided to quit my job thereafter, in May 2018,” she alleged.     She further alleged, “Some men came to my new workplace in July 2018 and made me accompany them after I got a threat call from the Bishop. The men took me to a car and wiped all the data on my phone. Then they offered to give me money.” While the victim did not file a police complaint, AOCC chose to take up the matter. However, no FIR has been registered against Leslie Moras. On November 12, the police met with the victim. She has given a written undertaking to them, stating that she stands by the video which she made which accused the Bishop of various offences. However, she is yet to give a formal statement to the police. The police said that they will begin questioning the Bishop when the victim makes a statement sworn before a magistrate. While allegations of the police shielding the Bishop have surfaced, officials said the delay in registering an FIR was because they were giving the victim adequate time to make a statement, and did not want to pressure her. Speaking to TNM, Robert Rosario, the complainant, alleged, "They don't want to take a case against a powerful person. I had to put pressure on the police by writing to the Commissioner several times before they took the complaint." Incidentally, Robert has a case registered against him for spreading communal hatred during the 2018 Assembly Elections.   Dismissing the allegations, Leslie Moras said on Friday, “Who has made the complaint? The complaint should be made by the victim herself, or it is not valid.” Bishop William was contacted several times for a statement, but he did not respond. In a press meet earlier this month, the Bishop had denied the allegations levelled against him and Leslie. The FIR against Bishop William also comes after 37 priests from different parishes wrote a letter to the Vatican seeking his removal. They accused him of land-grabbing, corruption, and fathering a child, which is taboo for a Catholic priest. The priests also alleged that Bishop William “has strong connections with the politicians of criminal record, corrupt police officials and corrupt bureaucrats. It is highly worrisome that he has also connections with the underworld." Read: 37 Catholic priests and a woman accuse Mysuru Bishop of sexual misconduct, corruption  

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In Bengaluru's KR Puram, friends-turned-foes fight each other to win the bye-polls

Politics

The fight for the seat is personal for former Chief Minister Siddarmaiah as Byrathi Basavaraj the BJP candidate was once his close associate.

Theja Ram

It’s a fight between old friends-turned-enemies, mentor versus mentee in Bengaluru’s KR Puram Assembly constituency. Congress MLC A Narayanaswamy is up against his former mentor, one of the 17 rebel legislators – Byrathi Basavaraj. The fight in KR Puram is a personal one not just for Narayanaswamy, but for former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too. Once considered as one of Siddaramaiah’s close confidantes, Byrathi Basavaraj’s resignation as an MLA and subsequent defection to BJP has been a bitter pill for Siddaramaiah to swallow. Defeating Basavaraj, Congress leaders say, is on the former Chief Minister’s personal agenda. Basavaraj, a Kuruba leader, MTB Nagaraj former Hoskote MLA and Yeshwantpur MLA ST Somashekar – were three former associates of Siddaramaiah, who defected to the BJP. The trio, who once shouted praises for Siddaramaiah and offered their ‘eternal gratitude’ to Siddaramaiah in political rallies, were known as “Siddaramaiah’s personal cabinet”. After the defection, the Congress decided to field Vokkaliga leader A Narayanaswamy, Byrathis’ former mentee, as the party candidate. Although not a rookie to electoral politics, Narayanaswamy’s clout in KR Puram is significantly less compared to Byrathi. Moreover, Basavaraj has the suooier of four out of six Congress corporators from the KR Puram segment. Congress insiders say that corporators BN Jayaprakash (Basavanapura), MN Srikanth (Devasandra), V Suresh (Narayanapura)and SG Nagaraj (Vignananagar) are offering their support for Basavaraj behind the scenes. This has resulted in a tough fight for A Narayanaswamy and the Congress has brought out the big guns to help him win the elections. Former Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are actively campaigning for Narayanaswamy and hoping that the caste equation in KR Puram will help them win the bye-polls. KR Puram has around 71,000 Vokkaligas, 47,000 from the Muslim community, 38,000 Christians and around 62,000 from the Kuruba community. While Basavaraj’s followers say that he is sure to bag most of the Kuruba votes, BJP insiders say that Siddaramaiah’s involvement in the campaign may create a dent in Basavaraj’s voter base. “The BJP does not have Vokkaliga votes. That will be split between Congress and the JD(S) candidate C Krishnamurthy. KR Puram has been the turf of the Congress because the Kuruba, Vokkaliga and minority voters shy away from electing a BJP leader. Siddaramaiah had fought with senior Congress leader A Krishnappa and given Byrathi a ticket to contest elections for the first time in 2013. Siddaramaiah had campaigned for Byrathi and ensured his victory. Byrathi Basavaraj may be a Kuruba leader but he is not in Siddaramaah’s league,” a senior Congress leader said.  

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Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's health stable, discharged after heart surgery

Health

The governor was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru on Monday for a bypass surgery.

TNM Staff

After making a stable recovery following a bypass surgery, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala was discharged from Fortis Hospital in Bengaluru on Saturday. “Bangalore, November 30, 2019: His Excellency, Shri Vajubhai Vala was admitted at Fortis hospital, Bannerghatta road for a bypass surgery on November 24, 2019. He underwent a successful surgery under Dr Vivek Jawali, Chairman, Department of Cardio Vascular Sciences, Fortis Hospital, Bangalore on November 25 and was monitored for 5 days. He is recovering well and is walking around. After thorough consultation from his treating doctor and the team, he was discharged today morning,” reads the press statement issued by Fortis Hospital. Vajubhai Vala had visited the hospital in the first week of November for an angiogram when doctors at the hospital recommended that he undergo a coronary bypass surgery. He was subsequently admitted to the hospital on Monday for surgery following which he was monitored closely. An angiogram is a diagnostic procedure wherein dye is inserted into the arteries of an individual through the bloodstream. This dye, a contrasting agent, then is visible when an x-ray is conducted, thereby allowing doctors to assess the condition of the arteries. A coronary bypass surgery is a surgery done to divert the flow of blood away from a blocked or partially blocked artery and towards the heart. On Wednesday, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa visited Vajubhai Vala at the hospital, “I met the respected governor Vajubhai Vala who was hospitalised due to illness and enquired about his health. I pray to god that he recovers quickly,” he later tweeted. ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯದ ಕಾರಣ ಖಾಸಗಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗೆ ದಾಖಲಾಗಿರುವ ಮಾನ್ಯ ರಾಜ್ಯಪಾಲರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ವಜುಭಾಯಿ ವಾಲಾರವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಅವರು ಶೀಘ್ರ ಗುಣಮುಖರಾಗಲೆಂದು ದೇವರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುವೆನು. pic.twitter.com/ZmH0Y3PKCc — B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) November 27, 2019 As he was in recovery at the time, the Governor could not attend the Conference of Governors held in New Delhi on November 23 and 24. He was also unable to take part in the Jalaram Jayanti celebrations by the Gujarati Association in Bengaluru, which he attends each year.

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